This invention relates to molded case circuit breakers and particularly to distribution lug terminals used thereon. Still more particularly, this invention relates to insulators covering the distribution lugs, trapped to the circuit breaker by attachment of the distribution lug to the circuit breaker terminal.
It is known to provide a power distribution wiring connector or lug on the load terminal of a molded case circuit breaker. These wiring lugs have multiple wire-receiving openings in an end face. The openings are individually intersected by threaded openings which intersect the wire-receiving openings at right angles. Set screws in the threaded openings project into the wire-receiving openings to clamp a wire in a respective opening. This distribution lug permits power through the circuit breaker to be distributed to multiple load devices from the same terminal, eliminating a separate terminal block assembly otherwise provided for this purpose. However, because multiple connection points are provided on the lug, the set screws are staggered or arranged in step fashion to enable a respective set screw to intersect only a single wire-receiving opening. Such arrangement increases the length of the distribution lug over that of a single wire lug normally provided with the molded case circuit breaker. The extended-length distribution lug, when attached to the circuit breaker terminal, extends beyond the end of many circuit breaker molded cases and beyond insulating barriers of the molded case that are disposed between the terminals. Accordingly, the extending distribution lugs require insulators to protect against phase-to-phase short circuit and inadvertent contact with the lugs.
It is known to provide a molded insulating terminal cover which attaches to and becomes an extension of the circuit breaker molded case to provide an insulating covering for the extended-length distribution lug terminals. Molded insulating lug covers require the circuit breaker molded case to be suitably configured with cooperative attachment features to receive the molded such attachment features molded into the members of the molded case and therefore cannot readily receive a retrofit molded insulating terminal cover.